So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up to the Cross his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to
tumble; and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.
Then was Christian glad saying with a merry heart, "He hath given me rest by his sorrow, And life by his death." - Pilgrims Progress

Thursday, March 15, 2007

A parable...

From Spurgeon's, "WHY ARE MEN SAVED?"

Once on a time, Mercy sat upon her snow-white throne,surrounded by the troops of love. A sinner was brought beforeher, whom Mercy designed to save. The herald blew thetrumpet, and after three blasts thereof; with a loud voice,he said, "O heaven, and earth, and hell, I summon you this dayto come before the throne of Mercy, to tell why this sinnershould not be saved."

There stood the sinner trembling with fear; he knew that therewere multitudes of opponents, who would press into the hall ofMercy, and with eyes full of wrath, would say, "He must not,and he shall not escape; he must be lost!"

The trumpet was blown, and Mercy sat placidly on her throne,until there stepped in one with a fiery countenance, his head wascovered with light, he spoke with a voice like thunder and out ofhis eyes flashed lightning.

"Who are you?" said Mercy. He replied, "I am Law; the law ofGod." "And what have you to say?" "I have this to say," and helifted up a stony tablet, written on both sides- "this wretch hasbroken these ten commands. My demand is blood; for it iswritten, 'The soul that sins, it shall die.' Die he, or justice must."

The wretch trembles, his knees knock together, the marrow ofhis bones melts within him, as if they were dissolved by fire, andhe shakes with fright. Already he thought he saw the thunderboltlaunched at him, he saw the lightning penetrate into his soul, hellyawned before him in imagination, and he thought himself castaway forever.

But Mercy smiled, and said, "Law, I will answer you. Thiswretch deserves to die; justice demands that he should perish -I award you your claim." And oh! how the sinner trembles."But there is one yonder who has come with me today- my king,my Lord, his name is Jesus, he will tell you how the debt can bepaid, and the sinner can go free."

Then Jesus spoke, and said, "O Mercy, I will do your bidding.Take me Lord, put me in a garden, make me sweat drops ofblood, then nail me to a tree, scourge my back before you putme to death; hang me on the cross; let blood run from my handsand feet. Let me descend into the grave; let me pay all that thesinner owes. I will die in his stead."

And the Law went out and scourged the Savior, nailed himto the cross, and coming back with his face all bright withsatisfaction, stood again at the throne of Mercy, and Mercy said,"Law, what have you now to say?" "Nothing," said he, "fairangel, nothing." "What! not one of these commands againsthim?" "No, not one. Jesus, his substitute, has kept them all- haspaid the penalty for his disobedience, and now, instead of hiscondemnation, I demand as a debt of justice that he beacquitted."

"Stand here," said Mercy, "sit on my throne; I and you togetherwill now send forth another summons."

The trumpet rang again. "Come hither, all you who have anythingto say against this sinner, why he should not be acquitted," andup comes another - one who often troubled the sinner, onewho had a voice not so loud as that of the Law, but still piercing-a voice whose whispers were like the cuttings of a dagger."Who are you?" says Mercy.

"I am Conscience, this sinner must be punished; he has done somuch against the law of God that he must be punished; I demandit; and I will give him no rest till he is punished, nor even then, forI will follow him even to the grave and persecute him after deathwith pangs unutterable,"

"No," said Mercy, "Hear me" and while he paused for amoment she took a bunch of hyssop and sprinkled Consciencewith the blood, saying "Hear me, Conscience- 'The blood ofJesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us from all sin', Now haveyou anything to say?""No," said Conscience, "nothing.""Covered is his unrighteousnessFrom condemnation he is free.""Henceforth I will not grieve him; I will be a good conscienceunto him, through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The trumpet rang a third time, and growling from the innermostvaults, up came a grim black fiend, with hate in his eyes, andhellish majesty on his brows.

He is asked, "Have you anything against that sinner?" "Yes,"said he, "I have- he has made a league with hell, and a covenantwith the grave, and here it is signed with his own hand. He askedGod to destroy his soul in a drunken fit, and vowed he wouldnever turn to God; see, here is his covenant with hell!"

"Let us look at it," said Mercy; and it was handed up, while thegrim fiend looked at the sinner, and pierced him through with hisblack looks.

"Ah! but," said Mercy, "this man had no right to sign the deed;a man must not sign away another's property. This man wasbought and paid for, long beforehand; he is not his own; thecovenant with death is disannuled, and the league with hell isrent in pieces. Go your way Satan,"

"Nay," said he, howling again, "I have something else to say-that man was always my friend, he always listened to myinsinuations; he scoffed at the gospel, he scorned the majesty ofheaven; is he to be pardoned, while I repair to my hellish den,forever to bear the penalty of guilt?"

Said Mercy, "Avaunt, you fiend; these things he did in the daysof his unregeneracy and they are blotted out. Go to your hell;take this for another lash upon yourself - the sinner shall bepardoned, but you - never, treacherous fiend!"

And then Mercy, smilingly turning to the sinner, said, "Sinner,the trumpet must be blown for the last time!" Again it wasblown, and no one answered. Then stood the sinner up, andMercy said, "Sinner ask yourself the question - ask of heaven,of earth, of hell - whether any can condemn you?"

And the sinner stood up, and with a bold loud voice said,"Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?"

And he looked into hell, and Satan lay there, biting his ironchains; and he looked on earth, and earth was silent; and in themajesty of faith the sinner did even climb to heaven itself, and hesaid, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?

"God?"And the answer came, "No; he justifies."

"Christ?"Sweetly it was whispered, "No; he died."

Then turning round, the sinner joyfully exclaimed, "Who shallseparate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus ourLord." And the once condemned sinner came back to Mercy;prostrate at her feet he lay, and vowed henceforth to be hers forever, if she would keep him to the end, and make him what shewould desire him to be.

Then no longer did the trumpet ring, but angels rejoiced, and heaven was glad, for the sinner was saved.